HONG KONG, 23 June 2025: Hong Kong Airlines’ inaugural flight from Hong Kong to Sydney, Australia, landed in the state capital of New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday.
To mark this new milestone in its network expansion, Hong Kong Airlines held celebratory events at both Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and Sydney Airport (SYD) for the daily direct service.
Before departure, Hong Kong Airlines President Jeff Sun stated: “As a full-service local carrier, the launch of our Sydney service marks a significant step in our transformation to an international airline. Sydney is not only a popular destination for leisure and business travel but also one of Australia’s most vital economic hubs. The expansion of the bilateral traffic rights agreement allows us to offer more choice to travellers in both cities, strengthening the connection between them.”
He added, “While Hong Kong Airlines may be a younger brand in the mature Australian market, we are endeavouring in our commitment to providing quality service. We operate this route with our Airbus A330 aircraft, featuring comfortable business and economy class cabins, and strive to deliver a passenger-centric in-flight experience through attentive service and fine dining for our long-haul customers.”
Sydney Airport CEO Scott Charlton welcomed the new flight: “We’re proud to welcome Hong Kong Airlines to Sydney as our 52nd airline partner with its strong reputation for service excellence, efficiency and value. This inaugural service comes on the back of the first expansion in bilateral air traffic rights between Australia and Hong Kong in 19 years, and we thank the Albanese Federal Government for its role in enabling this important agreement, which reflects the strength of our longstanding cultural and economic ties.”
Also in attendance at the Sydney welcome ceremony were representatives from the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Sydney, Destination NSW and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Sydney).
The launch of the Sydney service indicates Hong Kong Airlines’ overarching strategy for its network expansion. Coupled with the various significant destinations that have been inaugurated or reinstated since the start of the year, including Gold Coast in Australia, Vancouver in Canada, and Hulunbuir in Inner Mongolia of mainland China, the airline has cultivated a more extensive and diversified route map. This further underscores Hong Kong Airlines’ commitment and contribution to the aviation industry’s recovery and long-term development.
In addition to the new routes, the airline also increased flights on multiple routes to cater to the summer travel demand. This includes the resumption of seasonal flights to the Maldives and an increase in flights to Danang, Vietnam, to two daily flights. Additionally, flights to Shanghai Pudong will increase to four daily, while services to Hangzhou and Nanjing will become twice daily. T
Hong Kong Airlines flight schedule between Hong Kong and Sydney (All times local):
